"A train...?"
Revan muttered the word in confusion, his voice instantly swallowed by the roaring wind.
Currently, he and Sylvia were standing atop a steam train cutting through the silent night forest like a black arrow.
The rhythmic grinding of iron wheels against the tracks filled his ears, accompanied by the thick, acrid smell of burning coal from the smokestack.
Revan narrowed his eyes, shielding them from the biting gale. From his position at the very rear, he analyzed the vehicle's structure.
The engine was pulling exactly eight carriages.
The first three were clearly for passengers, evidenced by the warm yellow light leaking from the windows.
However, the remaining five—including the one beneath their feet—were reinforced cargo wagons. Windowless and encased in thick steel, they were designed to transport heavy or high-value goods.
Revan shifted his gaze to the figure standing beside him.
Sylvia stood motionless on the shaking roof, her balance defying the laws of physics, as if she were a statue bolted to the metal.
Her black gothic dress fluttered wildly in the gale, making her resemble a dark spirit haunting the vehicle.
The wind whipped her hair into a chaotic dance, yet somehow, it only accentuated her terrifying beauty.
'What is she actually planning to do on this train?'
A few possibilities flashed through his mind.
'Murder?'
Revan shook his head slightly.
'Nuh-uh. Absolutely not.'
If the goal were simple murder, she wouldn't have bothered dragging him along. Sylvia could have just issued a command and comfortably sipping tea.
'A meeting, then?'
Revan glanced at the luxury passenger carriages at the front.
'Maybe. A secret negotiation?'
He closed his eyes for a second.
'I can feel it...'
Since the moment he teleported here, his senses had been screaming.
'There are two massive energy signatures in the front carriage. Their mana types are distinct.'
'A Mage... and a warrior?'
But that wasn't all. Revan's face stiffened.
'Surrounding them... I sense the presence of twenty others. Their stealth is sloppy, but their aura is deadly. They are at least on par with the Vespera family's elite assassins.'
Revan sighed in relief.
'Thank god... there is only one Mage.'
Revan's calm expression crumbled, replaced by a creeping dread.
'Wait...'
'She isn't planning to make me fight them, is she?'
He swallowed hard, trying to rationalize the situation.
'She just wants to meet them peacefully... right? Just a little chit-chat?'
But, just as that glimmer of hope sparked in his heart, a cold voice—sharper than the night wind—shattered it into a million pieces.
"Clear the trash in the front carriage."
Sylvia didn't even turn around. She continued to stare straight ahead, but her killing intent surged like a tidal wave as she spoke.
Revan froze.
'H... Huh?'
He stared at her in utter disbelief
'What do you mean by "clear the trash"?'
He forced a stiff, awkward smile.
'Hey, My Lady... please tell me this is one of your sick jokes. You're joking, right?'
She calmly pulled a silver pocket watch from her dress, glanced at it, and snapped it shut with a crisp click.
"You have 5 minutes," she said casually. "Kill them all. Leave no survivors."
'YOU DAMN CRAZY BITCH!'
Inside his head, a volcano erupted. His soul flipped a table in pure rage.
'Are you actually trying to get me killed?! Is this your plan all along?!'
Revan sighed heavily in his imagination.
'I might—just might—be able to handle the assassins... but those two monsters inside?! They are at least Expert Rank! They are on the level of Academy Instructors! Asking me to fight them alone is like asking a Level 1 Slime to solo the Dungeon Boss!'
Suddenly, Revan realized he hadn't answered her.
He instantly swallowed his curses. He feared that if he hesitated for even a fraction of a second, Sylvia would sense his internal rebellion.
In the blink of an eye, he wiped the panic from his face, replaced it with a calm, elegant smile, and bowed perfectly.
"Your wish is my command."
Sylvia turned her head slowly. A dark, fluctuating aura began to leak from her body, making her pale violet eyes glow in the darkness. She smiled faintly—a breathtakingly beautiful expression that promised nothing but death.
"If they are not dead in 5 minutes... then I will kill you myself right here."
Revan didn't answer. He simply nodded, and his figure faded into the night.
***
The transition was seamless. Revan materialized inside the cargo wagon. His hand was already gripping the hilt of his sword.
But what greeted him was not an empty hallway
Ten figures clad in black stood in combat formation, their swords drawn and coated in a crimson aura. They didn't look surprised in the slightest.
Their cold gazes were locked onto him, as if they had been waiting for this moment.
Revan scoffed internally.
'Thank you, My Lady. Thanks to you unleashed that ridiculous killing intent on the roof, now the entire train knows we're here.'
"Vespera dog!" one of them shouted with pure hatred.
Revan responded with a look of utter disdain. Slowly, he released his own killing intent, making the air inside the steel wagon heavy and suffocating.
He grinned
"How dare filth like you bark..."
Revan tilted his head, looking at them as if they were dirt on his shoe.
"The Goddess desires your lives as an offering. So, stand still... and die with honor."
"You bastard!" one of the assassins roared.
The enemy lunged forward, moving with a speed that generated a massive wind pressure. To the naked eye, he was nothing but a blur of motion. His sword thrust straight forward, aiming to pierce Revan's heart.
But as the tip of the blade was about to touch his skin, Revan didn't dodge.
He simply ceased to exist in their line of sight.
Revan didn't just move fast; he seemed to be erased from reality, reappearing directly behind the enemy in the same blink of an eye.
Clang!
The sound of snapping metal echoed.
In a split second, the attacker's body and his sword were sliced cleanly in two. Fresh blood sprayed, painting the steel walls in a gruesome red. The two halves of the corpse hit the floor with a wet thud before the blood even realized it had been spilled.
"...?"
The nine remaining assassins froze. Their eyes widened behind their masks, unable to comprehend the scene before them.
"Look at that..."
Revan's voice was soft, yet it pierced their souls.
"Even though your faces are covered, you cannot hide it from me... That stench of fear before a Divinity."
Revan looked at them with feigned pity, as if watching wounded puppies. He looked up slightly, sighing dramatically like a pious priest in the middle of a sermon.
"Oh, Great Goddess... have mercy on these lost lambs who have strayed so far from Your path."
"YOU... YOU LUNATIC!!"
The shout exploded. The nine assassins simultaneously flared their aura. Their swords were instantly coated in blood-red light, ready to tear the madman apart.
Revan ignored them. He remained in his prayer stance, eyes closed in deep devotion.
"Forgive them... and grant them a painless death."
BOOM!
Just as he was praying, the roof of the carriage collapsed.
Debris of wood and steel rained down, followed by ten more assassins crashing in through the hole. They wore the same black gear, wielding the same crimson aura, doubling the enemy count to nineteen in that cramped space.
Amidst the chaos and the settling dust, Revan opened his eyes slowly. He smiled sincerely.
"Amen."